Rusch Joins Royals To Improve Pitching

Glendon Rusch has turned down a scholarship offer to play baseball for the University of Washington, but Rusch still will have his college education paid for.

Rusch, a senior pitcher at Shorecrest High School, signed with Kansas City on Monday after being drafted in the 17th round by the Royals in last week's draft.

The 6-foot 2, 175-pound Rusch had signed a letter of intent with the Huskies. But when the Royals talked contract with Rusch, that all changed.

"I just feel this is the best situation for me to get what I need to get accomplished in baseball," Rusch said yesterday. "This will be the best way for me to improve because I'll be playing baseball and that's all I'll be doing."

Rusch declined to reveal the terms of his contract or signing bonus, only to say, "It was a very fair offer." He said he put his signing bonus in the bank.

The contract does call for the Royals to set aside funding for Rusch's college education. The Royals will pay for four years of college when Rusch decides to continue his education.

"It was tough," Rusch said of his decision to turn down the Huskies' offer. "It was something I thought about every single day, but more and more, I feel this is the best way for me to go."

Rusch will graduate from Shorecrest Sunday.. He leaves for Fort Myers, Fla., Tuesday. Rusch will pitch for the Royals' Fort Myers team in the Gulf Coast rookie league. The 70-game season starts next Friday.

Rusch said there's a chance he could play with the Eugene (Ore.) Emeralds next season. The Emeralds are the Royals' entry in the Northwest League, in which the Everett Giants play.

Rusch was 14-2 with a 0.79 earned-run average for the Scots, who took second in the Class AA state tournament. Rusch struck out 134 batters and walked just 15 this season.

Rusch signed the contract with the blessing of his parents, Robert and Carolyn, and his coach, Stan Taloff.

"We would've liked to see him pitch here for the University of Washington, but we're excited for him," Robert Rusch said.

Rusch credited Taloff for helping him develop the skills to be drafted by the Royals.

"It's a tough decision when you're that age," Taloff said. "There's a lot of other things that go with that decision, other than just playing baseball."

GIANTS OPEN CAMP

Summer vacation is just about to start for most high school and college students.

But for the Everett Giants, school started today.

The Giants opened their week-long spring training camp today at Everett Stadium. The daily workouts, which continue until next Wednesday, are scheduled from 10 a.m. to noon and are open to the public. There is no admission charge.

Norm Sherry, back for his second season as Everett's manager, will do a majority of the teaching at the workouts.

The Giants are the Class A rookie league affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Everett opens the Northwest League season with a home game June 17 against the Bellingham Mariners.

Sherry said his job is to teach the players how to be professional baseball players.

"I like to win. Everybody likes to win," Sherry said yesterday. "But our basic goal is to teach them how the Giants want things done fundamentally."

Sherry and his coaching staff will spend the first few days of camp getting to know the new players. Only a handful are back from last year's team.

The only Giant with a local background is pitcher Jeff Martin from Renton's Hazen High School.

Based on Sherry's observations at spring training in Arizona, the Giants should have several swift players in the lineup.

"If you've got the speed, use it. That's what I like," Sherry said. "We plan to do a lot of running to try to create things."

Outfielders Melvin Davis and Gary Phillips, both coming to Everett from San Francisco's extended spring training in Arizona, are two players Sherry lists as potential catalysts for the Giants. Others from extended spring training are Keith Stafford and Gene Thomas.

Returning players from last year's team include pitchers David Baine and Blair Hanneman and infielder Petie Roach.

Second baseman Chris Gump from the University of Arizona was named second team All-American last week.

Janet Lindahl, who guided the Stanwood Spartans to a sixth-place finish at last year's Class AA state volleyball tournament, has been named women's volleyball coach at Edmonds Community College.

Lindahl replaces Judy Ginnis, who coached the Tritons to a third-place finish in league and the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges playoffs in her only season at Edmonds. Ginnis resigned for personal reasons.

Lindahl, a 1984 Stanwood graduate, was the "C" team coach in 1990 before taking over the varsity in 1991. She was the Northwest League's Coach of the Year in 1991.

Last season, Lindahl's Spartans qualified for state for the first time in school history and took sixth at the tournament.

Lindahl was looking to resign her coaching duties at Stanwood in a year or two to continue her education. She plans to commute from her home in Stanwood and attend Edmonds Community College while coaching the Tritons.

"I didn't go out looking for it," Lindahl said. "It was something that slid into place."

Leanne Triebwasser and Heather Herrgesell, who played for Lindahl in 1991, have said they will play for the Tritons.

Lindahl was a four-year varsity volleyball player at Stanwood. She played basketball at Seattle Pacific University for two years.

CHIEFTAINS SIGN THREE

The Seattle University men's basketball team signed three players to letters of agreement this week, including local stars Jamahl Powell (Garfield) and Charlie Barokas (Mercer Island).

Powell, a 5-10 sophomore guard, is reunited with S.U. Coach Al Hairston, after helping a Hairston-coached Garfield team to the 1989 Class AAA state championship game.

Barokas, a 6-4 sophomore guard, returns to Seattle after spending a season with University of California Davis.

Hugh Stephens, a Gonzaga Prep graduate, also signed with the Chieftains. Stephens, a 6-6 junior forward, has played for Lewis-Clark State and Walla Walla CC.

HOLLANDSWORTH HAS HOT BAT

Todd Hollandsworth, a 1991 Newport High School graduate, was named minor-league Batter of the Week yesterday.

Hollandsworth, playing for the Class AA San Antonio Missions, hit .500 over a seven-game period that ended yesterday. Hollandsworth, an outfielder, was also named Batter of the Week for the Texas League.

In those seven games, Hollandsworth was 15 for 30 with three home runs, three doubles, one triple and seven RBI.

For the season, Hollandsworth is hitting .307 (61 for 199). He leads the Missions in home runs (eight) and triples (five) and is second in RBI (28) and doubles (11).

Hollandsworth was a third-round draft choice in 1991 by the Los Angeles Dodgers.

OTHER DRAFT NOTES

-- Sammamish High's John LeRoy, a right-handed pitcher selected by the Atlanta Braves in the 15th round of last week's baseball draft, will start his professional career with a two-month stint in West Palm Beach, Fla.

The 6-foot-3 LeRoy leaves June 22 for two months of rookie ball in Florida after signing for a $38,000 bonus and all potential college expenses.

"I feel great. I'm really excited," said LeRoy, whose fastball has been clocked at 93 mph this spring. "This is something I've always wanted to do, and the chance is here. I've got a good, positive attitude, and I'm ready to improve."

LeRoy was 3-2 with a 2.84 earned-run average and 66 strikeouts in 38 innings pitched this spring. He finished second in the KingCo Conference in strikeouts by five despite pitching 18 fewer innings than the strikeout leader. He also finished eighth in KingCo with a .421 batting average and hit three home runs with 18 runs batted in.

-- Outfielder Derrin Doty, the University of Washington senior who led the Pac-10 Northern Division with a .402 batting average, has signed a contract with the California Angeles.

Doty, who was drafted in the 17th round, was to leave today for a week-long rookie camp in Mesa, Ariz. He's expected to be assigned to Class A Boise, Idaho, after that.

-- Two Washington underclassmen were drafted last week but haven't signed. Matt Wimmer, an outfielder, was selected by the Seattle Mariners in the 37th round, and Brandon Newell, a pitcher/third baseman, was picked by the New York Mets in the 43rd round.

-- One Washington player expected to be drafted, Chad Hartvigson, is still waiting for a call after watching roommates Doty and Newell get picked.

"I didn't really know what to expect with the injury and everything," said Hartvigson, a left-handed pitcher who was hampered by a stress fracture in his leg much of the season. "But a lot of positives come out of it. I didn't accomplish what I wanted to this year, so I'll come back next year and see what I can accomplish."

The 6-foot-3 Hartvigson, a graduate of Kirkland's Juanita High, was 7-3 with a 2.38 earned run average this season. He led the Pac-10 North in ERA most of the season before finishing second to first-round draft pick Scott Christman (Chicago White Sox) of Oregon State. He missed seven starts in the six weeks he was out because of the injury.

Hartvigson will play in a two-month Canada-Alaska summer league for a team in Kamloops, B.C. The league is made up of mostly college players and ex-pros.

Times staff reporters Gordon Wittenmyer and Percy Allen contributed to this report.